Stand By Me
by ArtemisNakajima
Summary: Yuuri and Viktor are both lead singers in their own bands, Viktor's band being one of the most popular ones of the decade. Yuuri and Viktor meet during a performance, but Yuuri's anxiety stops him from talking to him, maddening Viktor . The next year, at a band competition, Viktor deals with his feeling for Yuuri after severely hurting him emotionally.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, I'll make this short. I'm not a first-time writer, but the band names, I agree, are terrible. If anyone has any better ideas, please feel free to message me. Also, in the first part Viktor is wearing the outfit that he was wearing in the first and last episode; the pink one!

Disclaimer: I do not own Yuuri! On Ice! or its characters.

Also, the lyrics in this fanfic are actually to real songs. I'll list them out (in order of appearance) if you want to check them out. Oh, and let me know how well you think that the songs fit with the bands. THX!

-'Lazy Eye' by the Silversun Pickups

-'White Caps' by the Nevada Bachelors

-'Thought' by the Nevada Bachelors

"Come-on, guys! You guys can do it! It's not your first performance!" yelled Mari-chan to her brother, Katsuki Yuuri. He stood off to the side of the stage, his black eyeliner giving him a slightly goth look. His tight black jeans and black leather jacket only added to the look, as well as the silver chain at his hip and the solid black tee he wore below his studded jacket. He wore black zip-up boots, their pleather tops giving off a slight sheen. All in all, Yuuri looked ready for tonight's performance.

Phichit Chulanont, Yuuri's best friend, stood to his right. He wore a similar outfit to Yuuri's, except all white, the kohl around his eyes giving him a sort of manic look. Phichit held his base guitar, itching to play. Guang-Hong Ji, the drummer, twisted his sticks in his hands, occasionally tapping rhythms on the edge of the stage. His leather jacket was closer fitting than the others, and he wore slim black pants which glimmered in the faint light. He was the youngest; he was only 17, whereas Yuuri was 24, Phichit was 20, and Leo de la Iglesia (the gold-clad guitar player) was 19. None of them except Yuuri could drink, but the club allowed Leo, Guang-Hong, and Phichit in because they were performing.

The club was loud, canned music shrieking through the speakers. Yuuri was unable to pay attention to this; his anxiety was acting up again, and this was not a good thing for a famous singer like Yuuri. Not that he was THAT famous, but the band was famous enough to be opening for Stay Close to Me, one of the most famous bands of the decade. Viktor Nikiforov, the lead singer, was famously hot, and Christophe Giacometti (their guitar player) was known for being undeniably sexy. Otabek Altin played bass; if you could get that guy to talk to you… well you were one in a million, and Jean-Jacques Leroy… well, let's just say Stay Close to Me was STILL trying to figure out how he got in the band. He was a good drummer, though, no matter that he was also extremely self-obsessed. He wasn't very nice, but he was definitely good!

Yuuri sighed, looking up at the dark stage. In the din, he could just make out Phichit's bass stand and Guang-Hong's drum kit way on the far side of the stage. The mics at the front of were some that Yuuri had spent almost three years saving up for, and he cherished them more than most other things he owned. Their sliver heads bobbed as the stage crew set them up. Yuuri wrung his hands nervously, knowing that the moment they were done setting up the mics, Yuuri would have to get on stage with the band. His stage fright was nothing new; he'd had it since he was a kid, but it usually didn't act up this much. It was probably because this was the first time they'd be playing on a big stage, and they were opening for Stay Close to Me. How would you feel if you were opening for the band that got you to become a musician in the first place?

"Yuuri, calm down," muttered Mari-chan to Yuuri. He turned to look at her, taking in the short-shorts and fishnet stockings. Her tube top was solid black and the leather jacket she wore glinted with every turn of the lights. The make-up around her eyes was darker than Yuuri's even was, and her metal earrings and ear cuffs made her look almost off balance. Her two-toned hair was pulled back up on her head, and Yuuri wondered if she was ever going to dye it back to its original black. He didn't care so much though. It was his sister's hair, not his. He turned back to the stage still wringing his hands.

"Thanks for waiting I guess," a loud cheer. "Now shut up so we can start." The man had slipped onstage lithely, like a cat. He looked far too young for someone to be working here. His outfit, a black tee with a tiger below a tiger-print jacket, suggested that he was some sort of cat fan, and his long blond hair wrapped around his face like wrapping on a present. His name was Yuri Plisetzky; he was only 16, but he was legendary. He traveled with Stay Close to Me because his boyfriend, Otabek Altin, was in the band. Yuri sometimes sang back-up vocals for Stay Close to Me, but it was fairly rare. He just helped manage the band (Viktor was hopeless when it came to management) and used it to get into sold-out shows. Well, that and his attitude.

"Yuuri! Come on, you guys have to get up here! You start in less than a minute!" he shot down, kneeling on the side of the stage. He glared at them, obviously angry. The entire band rushed up on stage, grabbing instruments, tuning, hitting things (though this was mostly Guang-Hong). Yuuri sat the mics up on the front of the stage, doing his best to avoid looking into the crowd.

"Umm *feedback* we are… uh… History Makers," he squeaked into the mic, pulling away quickly to readjust his outfit. Then Guang Hong started to count in the first song.

"I've been waiting,

I've been waiting for this moment,

All my life,

But it's not quite right…" The music rang through the club, the cheering only growing as Yuuri gained confidence. He started to sing less because he had to and more because he truly wanted to. Wrapping his hand around the mic, he sang from his heart, the music flowing through him rather than around. Everyone was dancing, having a good time. Then Yuuri saw him.

Viktor Nikiforov stood on the far side of the room, watching the band play. He had a smile on his face, one Yuuri had never seen before in any of his pictures. Yuuri looked directly at him, the smile that had been growing on his face gone in an instant.

Because Viktor was staring, with those beautiful, turquoise eyes, directly at him.

Yuuri could feel his breathing start to falter. His idol, Viktor, was staring directly at him? How could this happen? Viktor seemed to sense that he was causing a disturbance, so he turned away, focusing on the rest of the band, but that look was gone.

Had Yuuri just imagined it?

"That's why I said I relate,

I said we relate,

It's so fun to relate…" The song continued, Viktor's look fading from Yuuri's mind as he finished.

"The moon, the sun, and the sky-y-y-y,

The moon, the sun, and the sky-y-y." Everyone cheered, clapping filling the grand room. Yuuri smiled, continuing on with his set, much less nervous now that he had received positive feedback. Viktor was gone; Yuuri was thankful, which struck him as odd. Viktor was his idol, so he should want Viktor to stay, right?

But that look.

Yuuri couldn't help the smile that found its way onto his face, but he still did not know why it was there, or what was making him feel so happy and giddy inside. His singing was unimpaired. It had nothing to do with the crowd, either.

Then what was it?

Before Yuuri could assess any more, their set was over. Yuuri and the rest of the band helped the crew clear away the kit and the mics, the stands remaining on stage for Stay Close to Me. Yuuri and the crew went back stage for a little while before leaving to watch Stay Close to Me. Yuuri, on the other hand, stayed inside for a little while longer. He heard Viktor's set coming through the door, and he just closed his eyes and listened, smiling. He'd always loved Viktor's music, but it'd recently gotten better. It just seemed like his music conveyed more of his feelings now. Like he'd finally found something that made him want to sing. Yuuri absentmindedly wondered what it was.

"Sorry, no human be-ings alowowowowed…" Viktor sang, dancing as he recited. As he sang, his body lowered, as though he was whispering into the audience. He moved his free arm back and forth as he danced to the beat, smiling. Yuuri had slipped into the audience just moments before, not expecting to see the look Viktor had on his face. He didn't expect to see Viktor looking into the audience as though he was searching for something. He didn't seem to be able to find it, and it seemed to bother him. Then he saw Yuuri.

Viktor's whole demeanor changed. He seemed to be singing TO Yuuri now, facing him and smiling directly into his eyes. Yuuri felt awkward; the stares that he was getting from others were bothering him.

"What? To seize revenge," he sang, smiling even more brightly than before. He turned in a circle as he danced, his pink outfit sparkling in the light. Viktor's eyes only left Yuuri's for a moment, and in that moment, Yuuri was able to get control of himself. As Viktor turned around, smiling, Yuuri began to walk away, his head down. Viktor's face fell immediately, and he almost missed an entrance. Yuuri felt bad for this, but he didn't understand why Viktor was staring at him.

Or why this undeniably-hot man was even interested in him in the first place.


	2. Chapter 2

_March: 1 year later…_

Yuuri's phone beeped, startling him from a dream he'd had. He sat up, groaning. The bed he lay on he had had for almost 6 years now, but he hadn't the money to afford a new one. Buying a bed was a huge investment, and Yuuri had just gotten out of college. He wouldn't even have had the money to afford his apartment if he weren't sharing it with Phichit Chulanont, his best friend and band-mate. He tapped Phichit on the shoulder, earning him a jab in the ribs in response. Yuuri rubbed his side, shaking his friend awake.

"Phichit, we have a gig!" The band hadn't had a gig in almost four months now, Viktor Nikiforov's band taking all the ones they tried to get. It seemed that Viktor's band, the singer himself specifically, had something against History Makers. He was always trying to put his band out there more, but Yuuri had a hunch that Viktor just didn't want the History Makers to be able to perform. Thanks to this, they were now severely out of practice.

Phichit opened his eyes, wiping them casually with his wrist. He turned, facing Yuuri, his eyes lighting up in excitement.

"Really?" He sat up, hopping out of bed and grabbing his clothes from the dresser. He rushed to the bathroom to get dressed.

"I'll let Guang-Hong and Leo know!" Yuuri yelled, clicking on his messenger app. He smiled, noting how little time it took for Leo and Guang-Hong to answer.

-Great! Leo and I'll be there by around noon to practice!- Guang-Hong

-HEY! Don't speak for me!- Leo

-I'll be there at noon. *glares at Guang Hong*- Leo

-Okay. Phichit and I will see you there!-

Yuuri closed out of his phone, placing it in his pocket as he got dressed. As soon as Phichit was out of the bathroom, he and Yuuri gathered their band belongings and they ventured to their practice place on foot. It was a short walk; it was only a few blocks away. Leo and Guang-Hong stood outside the door, waiting for Yuuri and Phichit (Yuuri had the keys). They were laughing about something, smiling brightly, and Yuuri was almost reluctant to speak.

"Hey, guys!" Phichit yelled for Yuuri, understanding his reluctance to barge into the conversation. He turned, taking the key from Yuuri and entering the building. He looked to the others, saying,

"Ready to go?" They all cheered, sharing a group hug before rushing in a picking their instruments. Leo's guitar needed tuning, Guang-Hong's drumsticks needed to be organized, and Phichit's bass needed to be dusted. Yuuri had been using his mics during the entire period that they weren't playing shows, so they didn't need anything.

"Alright, guys, let's do 'Thoughts'." Everybody cheered, smiling. Guang-Hong counted in the song, and they began.

It was a disaster.

Yuuri's voice was fine, but Guang-Hong was dragging, Phichit missed some notes, and Leo was just flat out playing the wrong song. Yuuri stopped them about a third of the way through the song, yelling to stop. He helped Guang-Hong with the timing while Phichit went through and remembered the notes. Leo looked in his song-book from early on, refreshing his mind on what riffs went to what title. They started again, the result being much better, in Yuuri's eyes. Everyone else agreed that it was perfect, but Yuuri steadily lost his confidence, claiming that he was out of tune, Guang-Hong was still dragging, etc. The others eventually got aggravated by Yuuri's insistence that they were failing, deciding to leave. Yuuri protested, reminding them that their performance was in less than a week.

"What even IS this performance?" asked Guang-Hong. Yuuri was confused.

"I mean, WHERE? Who ELSE is playing?" Yuuri looked at his phone, suddenly curious. He cursed himself for not checking this before. He'd just readily agreed to play; they hadn't had a performance in months, and whatever it was, it should have been okay.

"HAAAAAAH?!" Yuuri gasped. He scrolled through again, doing a double take.

"What?!" asked the others, worried. They clustered around Yuuri, looking over his shoulder.

"A BAND COMPETITION?! YOU SIGNED US UP FOR A **BAND COMPETITION**?! Next FRIDAY?!" screeched Phichit, grabbing Yuuri's shoulders, who had thankfully remained silent. Yuuri continued scrolling, but soon regretting it.

"AGAINST **STAY CLOSE TO ME?!"**

"I-I-I didn't know! I just figured that any performance would be good!"

"Dude, we aren't prepared for this!" cried Guang-Hong.

"Yeah! We haven't practiced in months, and suddenly we've only got, like, FOUR days to practice for this competition!" yelled Leo, muttering _god_ under his breath.

"What are they playing?" asked Phichit, his eyes the size of watermelons. He looked at the setlist, his heart beating faster against Yuuri's arm as he leaned against his shoulder.

"They're playing 'Everybody Loves Me'? Why am I not surprised?" he said, attempting to lighten the conversation. Leo ignored this, saying,

"Is there any way to get us uninvited from this thing?"

"No. Not without it showing up that we were on the roster. If we left, it would look like we chickened out. We would lose popularity. Quickly," he said, shaking his head as though trying to dislodge a bad thought. The others stood back, their shoulders slumping.

"Okay, let's have a vote. Pros and Cons. If we did this, we could embarrass ourselves out there, which none of us want." He took a deep breath.

"If we didn't so this, we would look like failures; like we chickened out of a competition. What do you guys think? Raise your hand if you think we should do this. Keep in mind, we'd be going up against Stay Close to Me."

Yuuri took in a deep breath, watching the others. He thought that everyone would say no, but then Guang-Hong broke in.

"If you want to, we'll stand by you, Yuuri. We'll do it. What do you think?" He looked at the others, who immediately nodded their assent. Yuuri thought for a moment. He debated saying no. That would ease his conscience. But then he saw Viktor, making fun of their band and laughing at them. He saw Viktor's asinine acts to his band mates.

Then he had another thought.

He remembered the look Viktor had given him nearly a year ago, when History Makers opened for his band.

The smile.

Yuuri smirked.

"Okay, then. Let's do this."


	3. Chapter 3

_Day before the performance:_

"Okay, Chris, let's go over that one more time." Viktor was annoyed; Chris wasn't getting it. All he wanted were the flashy riffs and places to show off, but 'Everybody Loves Me' was not a song that contained many of those. Chris didn't like it. He glared at Viktor.

"Why are we doing this song, anyway?" Viktor rolled his eyes.

"Because it proves a point. Come on, Chris. Just figure it out." He turned, re-adjusting his mic. He motioned to Otabek and JJ.

"Anybody else got anything to say?" He asked passive-aggressively. Otabek shrugged, the usual stoic look on his face that only went away around Yuri Plisetsky. JJ, on the other hand, glared at Viktor, saying,

"Can we start already?"

Viktor turned, sighing in defeat. He closed his eyes, gripping the mic with his right hand and the stand with his left. He gestured to JJ to count in the song. JJ hit his sticks together, yelling _One, two, three, four!_ and they started. As the song progressed, Viktor started to lose focus.

"Oh, my, feels just like I don't try, looks so good I might die, all I know is everybody loves me..."

Viktor's thoughts traveled back to last year's performance. He saw on the roster that History Makers were playing, and he immediately decided that they would play 'Everybody Loves Me' because he wanted to show that they were better than the History Makers. The others asked repeatedly why; he simply said that he disliked them. They asked why he hated them; he said he didn't like the fact that they were trying to force them out of the music world, even though he knew they weren't.

He would never admit the real reason he hated them.

Viktor had seen Yuuri's face that night, had sang to him. He didn't know why; it just felt right. He remembered how Yuuri had turned away, as though he were better than Viktor. Viktor smirked, distracted. He put all his emotions into that song, dancing as though he were on stage. He hated Yuuri; he made Viktor feel less than human. He had simply wanted to talk to Yuuri; to get to know him, but Yuuri had just ignored him. He glared into the wall.

"Umm… Viktor?" said Chris. Viktor turned around, facing the band. His face fell, taking in the expressions of his band-mates.

"Hunh?" He said. Chris looked at Viktor's hand, which was white; he was gripping the stand too hard.

"The song's still going." Viktor glared at him.

"I know!"

"You stopped singing." Chris had a worried look on his face, an emotion he rarely expressed. Viktor stopped.

"What?" He checked himself.

"It was that Yuuri guy again, wasn't it?" Viktor jumped.

"What? NO! What are you ta—"

"Don't pretend like it's not. I've seen you around him. You used to rave about how cool he was, then after that performance last year, you suddenly started hating him. Why?" Viktor just faced forward, releasing the stand and stretching out his fingers. He rolled his head around, glowering.

"Let's just do the song," he growled. Chris didn't look ready to drop the subject, but although he opened his mouth to say something, he closed it again quickly.

"Alright." He might up his guitar pick, strumming a few practice notes. JJ counted in the song, and they began. They didn't get far.

"Head, down, swayin' to my own sound, flashes in my face now, all I know is everybody…"

"Vitkor! Keep singing! Come on!" yelled Otabek angrily, strumming harder on his bass. Viktor realized that he'd stopped singing again.

"Well, I, play the music, don't stop 'till I turn gray…" Viktor started singing again, pouring himself into singing for the band. He tried to ignore the memory of Yuuri's face that was trying to force its way into his brain.

"Oh, my, feels just like I don't try, looks so good I might die, all I know is everybody loves me. Everybody loves me, Ohhhhhhhhhhhh." Otabek hit off the last few notes, JJ playing until the very end. JJ held off until the very end of the song, but as soon as it was done…

"VIKTOR! IF YOU AREN'T GOING TO SING, THEN WHAT'S THE POINT OF THIS BAND?!" JJ screamed, getting up from his drum kit and getting in Viktor's face. Viktor, generally the kind of person who'd hold his ground in a fight, just cowered.

"What is UP with you, Viktor? Ever since that performance last year, this band has been falling apart. You need to stop focusing on the winning part of it and think about the fact that maybe we don't care. Maybe we don't care about winning. Maybe we just want to play." Viktor looked at JJ, this realization dawning on him.

"We're fine for the performance, if Viktor can get himself together. I'll see you tomorrow." JJ stomped out of the practice space, simmering. Viktor only stared as the rest of his band-mates packed up their instruments, Otabek muttering something about a date and Chris saying they wouldn't be able to play with just two of the four people present. Viktor stood there for a few moments, empty room.

"Everybody Loves Me, eh?" Viktor muttered, sitting down on a fold-out chair. He was fine, but then, suddenly, the tears hit.

Viktor cried, his head in his hands. He didn't know what was wrong with him; he didn't realize anything in his performance had changed. Viktor's shoulders wracked with sobs, his eyes were puffy, and his hands were red with the prolonged pressure against his forehead. Then a sound came.

"Hey, um, someone accidentally delivered the wrong mail to my practice space, and I—" He stopped, seeing Viktor. Viktor looked up, taking in the running slacks and light sweater. The black rimmed glasses. The brown eyes.

Those eyes.

"Yuuri?" Viktor stood, anger now etching his features. Yuuri placed the mail on a chair by the door. He took in the color of Viktor's face, the sobs that still shook his frame, and started to walk backwards.

"Um, sorry, I have—to—go…" Yuuri slipped out the door, turning and running once he reached the street.

Viktor sat back down on the chair, crying even harder. He couldn't stop the tears, even while he was sleeping.

He'd just wanted to get to know Yuuri, that day a year ago, and he'd just ignored him. He told himself that was the problem. That it was because he wanted to be his friend.

But he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to it than that.


	4. Chapter 4

_The day of:_

"Okay, Phichit, that's good. I think we should add a few notes there, though. It seems a little lacking," said Leo, strumming the bass riff on his guitar. They were in the practice space, just the two of them. The performance was less than 4 hours away, and Phichit and Leo were trying to fix one of the riffs they hadn't been clear on the week before. Leo played the riff perfectly, aggravating Phichit. He just couldn't seem to get it. Phichit calmed himself though; Leo was a show off. He'd probably put in extra practice to know both parts. He always did. Phichit didn't know why it bothered him this time.

"Hey, Phichit, come on. We have less than an hour. Yuuri and Guang-Hong want to meet up for lunch." Phichit grimaced; his performance usually got worse when he was rushed. He started to miss even more notes, glowering at the floor. Somehow, Leo didn't even hesitate when he was under time constraints; he was born for the stage. Phichit had to get this down though, because this was Yuuri's band they were talking about.

Phichit remembered when Yuuri brought up the idea of becoming a band in the first place, nearly 7 years ago. They had been out ice-skating, and as Yuuri performed a couple of perfect flips, Phichit saw something change.

Stay Close to Me was blasted through the speakers.

Phichit had always expected Yuuri to go into professional figure skating; he was a natural, so it surprised him when Yuuri brought up the idea to start a band. Phichit always knew he'd been influenced by Stay Close to Me, but he didn't realize it ran that deep. Phichit readily agreed, putting out a flyer for teens who wanted to be in a band. They'd had a couple weirdo's come in, but Guang-Hong had won their hearts immediately. He was younger than they'd expected; he was 10, and Yuuri didn't want to get someone that young into something this big. Phichit told him that he wouldn't have stopped Phichit, who was four years younger than him, from joining, so they allowed Guang-Hong. Leo came as a package deal; he and Guang-Hong had been friends forever, and he wanted to play guitar, so the four of them formed the History Makers.

The History Makers didn't perform many places; Guang-Hong, Leo, and Phichit had all needed to go back home for the next few summers. The three of them were transfer students learning Japanese in Kyushu, Hasetsu, so they couldn't stay the whole year. Phichit remembered Yuuri's face when he figured out that the band would have to go on hold for the entire summer. He figured Yuuri would have given up the idea over the course of the summer, or at least not practiced.

Yuuri's voice when they came back was worth the wait. Phichit remembered hearing Yuuri try to sing before the summer, and his voice was, well… subpar. He'd obviously put in practice, however, because when Phichit, Leo, and Guang-Hong came back, his voice was incredible. He'd heard Yuuri in his room, singing 'Lazy Eye', a song they still played at their performances. Yuuri had been singing to himself in his room, not expecting anybody to come by. Phichit, impressed, had decided to take a video. He'd posted it on social media; he figured Yuuri would appreciate the publicity it could bring, but he didn't expect what would happen.

It received more hits in 20 minutes than Phichit thought possible in a week. It was getting re-tweeted from twitter and his Instagram was flooded with messages. His email was packed with unread emails, most of them from people that he'd never even HEARD of before. Yuuri found the video and didn't talk to Phichit in a week. But then they started getting gigs. People suddenly wanted them to play at their birthday parties, and clubs were willing to let them play in their 21+ areas. The four of them became popular; not just in Kyushu, but all over the country.

Stay Close to Me had actually asked History Makers to open for them a year before. Phichit had wondered what had changed since then. Viktor seemed to have a special hatred to Yuuri, so he'd wondered if something had happened between the two of them.

Yuuri told Phichit about the look Viktor gave him; about how Viktor seemed to be directing the performance towards Yuuri. Phichit had to admit that made sense. Viktor had completely shifted his performance to Yuuri the moment he saw him; Phichit had seen this first hand.

He'd also seen Yuuri walk away.

Most people would probably say that what Yuuri did was rude and conceited, but Phichit knew this wasn't the case. He'd seen Yuuri's face before he walked away. The look of fear. Phichit had a hunch that Yuuri's anxiety had been acting up again, and he had just felt the need to escape. It was a look Phichit had seen often, but Viktor had not. He assumed that Viktor had probably just seen Yuuri walk away and mistaken it for some sort of dislike; that maybe Yuuri didn't actually like his band, and was only opening for them for the popularity. That would explain the way he'd acted around them since then, and why Viktor seemed ready to hurt him every time they saw each other.

"Phichit, come on!" Leo was at the door, holding it open for Phichit. Phichit quickly slipped off his bass, grabbing his backpack as they slipped out the door. Yuuri had suggested a restaurant down by the beach. Phichit and Leo arrived about fifteen minutes late, but Yuuri and Guang-Hong didn't seem to be there. They entered asking about their friends.

Phichit didn't feel reassured when the lady said they'd been in the bathroom for nearly fifteen minutes.

"Yuuri? Guang-Hong?" called Phichit, walking into the bathroom. The sobbing that met his ears made him rush in.

Yuuri sat in the corner of the room, Guang-Hong positioned next to him. He had his arms over Yuuri's shoulder, trying to console him.

"What happened?" asked Phichit.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," muttered Guang-Hong. Yuuri was obviously panicking; the look on his face was one Phichit had become accustomed to. He knelt in front of Yuuri, pulling his hands away from his face.

"Yuuri, please tell me," he lulled. Yuuri shook his head, sobbing harder.

"Please. Whatever it is, we're your best friends. Nothing's going happen."

"He…he scared me, that's all," but that obviously wasn't the reason Yuuri was crying.

"Who, Yuuri?" Phichit put his hands on his shoulders, looking directly at him.

"Viktor."

"Oh, god. Yuuri, why did you see Viktor? You KNOW he hates you."

"I-it wasn't on purpose! They mailed us the wrong mail, so I brought it over to the address that I found. I didn't realize that it was Viktor's practice space." He started crying again, the tears leaking out of his eyes.

"Phichit, he—he looked like he wanted to kill me. He was crying; I saw his band-mates leave moments earlier, but I didn't make the connection until I got inside the door. He stood up and said, 'Yuuri?', but it was menacing. He said it like it was the name of a disease. And the hatred in his eyes. I- I ran as fast as I could. I don't know what I ever did to him!" Yuuri looked completely lost. He didn't understand, but Phichit realized something.

Viktor hated Yuuri, but the year before, he'd been almost infatuated with him.

No. Not almost.

Viktor had liked Yuuri; that was why he wanted History Makers to open for Stay Close to Me. He'd seen Yuuri and had inadvertently directed his performance at him, expecting something from Yuuri, but Yuuri had just walked away. Viktor had been confused; why would Yuuri walk away?

It made so much sense. Phichit put his head in his hands, silently cursing Yuuri's problem with anxiety. He'd been scared; Viktor thought he'd been hateful. Viktor hadn't always hated him. He thought Yuuri did, because…

Phichit looked to Yuuri.

Yuuri didn't know it, but he broke Viktor's heart.


	5. Chapter 5

_The Art Space Bar Buena, Tokyo. 10:35pm._

It was snowing.

"Yuuri!" called Phichit, catching his attention. His meltdown earlier had put Phichit on high alert, and he'd suggested they not play. Yuuri, on the other hand, knew they had to finish what they started.

"Hey! Where'd you run off to?" Phichit coughed; he'd just run through the crowd at full steam.

"I didn't think it would be this crowded!" Yuuri yelled over the loud live music, either ignoring Phichit's question or just not hearing it. Phichit nodded.

"Neither did I! It really is crowded!" He remarked loudly. The announcer said the competition would start at eleven, but Yuuri and the band were required to be there earlier. The competition had an opening band, which was playing at this time, and Yuuri was doing his best to pay attention. Phichit was making this difficult. Yuuri scanned the crowd, searching for Guang-Hong and Leo. They were on the far side of the room, chatting a group of guys from the nearby college. They seemed to fit in so well, it was making Yuuri a little jealous. He turned away, looking back to Phichit.

"When do you think they'll open the room in the back so I can practice a bit?" asked Phichit, his fingers twitching in anticipation. The first competition was to be held today, and it was graded on content more-so than on performance. The performance scheduled for the next day was mostly about tone, voice, and their dancing abilities. Yuuri had a hunch that even if they won in the first competition, Stay Close to Me would ace the second one, which was worth more points. Yuuri knew that they were screwed, but he also knew that this was a great way to put themselves even more out there. The band might fail, but Stay Close to Me was known all over the world. Even if they lost, they would do their best, and it could add to their popularity. Yuuri grinned despite his anxiety.

They could do this.

"Alright, folks, it's eleven! Thanks for being here, and now it's time! We have our competitors." He motioned for Yuuri and Viktor to climb the stairs and onto the stage. Yuuri attempted to avoid looking at Viktor. When he did look, he saw the look he expected. Viktor glared at him murderously, whispering,

"I'll turn you Borscht, you pig." he said, glowering at Yuuri. Yuuri just ignored him, focusing on the crowd. The announcer continued his introduction.

"Here we have Katsuki Yuuri, the singer for the up-and-coming band History Makers. What do you say about the competition?" Yuuri straightened his blue coat, sweating slightly.

"Well, I feel that we can do this. My band and I have been practicing for a while, and I am excited to go against Stay Close to Me. They are the ones who inspired me to sing, after all." Yuuri looked at Viktor, smiling sheepishly. Viktor looked positively taken aback, oblivious to the cheering crowd.

"WOW! And here's our other lead competitor tonight; Viktor Nikiforov, the singer for Stay Close to Me, a popular band not just in Japan, but all over the world. What do you say?" Viktor leaned forward, shaking off the discomfort he acquired after Yuuri's comment. He resumed his glaring at Yuuri before putting up a happy façade.

Yuuri momentarily wondered if he was actually putting one up…

or pulling one down.

"We'll turn these guys into Borscht." He smiled, gesturing out into the crowd. They cheered loudly and Viktor turned back around, smirking at Yuuri. He had the crowd, but Yuuri wasn't surprised. Viktor thought they had an advantage, but History Makers actually held a greater one.

The people would be far more expectant of Viktor's band; they would hold them to higher standards, and even though they weren't the ones voting, it could have a severe impact on the team's scores. Yuuri smiled at Viktor, surprising him. Viktor growled, angry. He knew Yuuri was up to something, but he didn't know half of it.

"Now, if that's okay with you guys, I think we're ready for tonight's performance!"

Yuuri grinned, looking to Phichit. He smiled back at Yuuri, finally making the same connection Yuuri had made earlier. He gave Yuuri a thumbs-up.

Oh, yes. Tonight's performance was going to be interesting.


	6. Chapter 6

"Yuuri, your band is going first!" called the announcer. He motioned for the band to come up on stage, asking what songs are you guys going to do?"

"You want my set list? Okay. We have 'Thought' and 'Lazy Eye'," Yuuri said, smiling brightly into the crowd. The audience roared, they'd obviously heard their two most famous songs; 'Lazy Eye' and 'Thought'. Yuuri started to feel better, but then the announcer said,

"Great! Good luck! What about you, Viktor?" he asked Viktor, who stood beside the stage.

"'White Caps' and 'Everybody Loves Me'," he said, staring at his cuticles absentmindedly. He acted like this whole thing was a joke; like it didn't matter, but Yuuri knew that he was only faking it. This thing meant more to Yuuri than it did to Viktor, but it still meant loads to him. This would prove who was actually the best. Never mind that Stay Close to Me would probably win anyway.

"You ready?" The announcer asked Yuuri. He nodded, smiling confidently.

 _Weather Report: The snow-fall has gotten heavier. Experts suggest that it may turn into a full-on snowstorm by midnight. Please stay off the roads tonight._

The report caused Yuuri's phone to buzz, but he wasn't able to get it. The band was already climbing up on stage, and Yuuri needed to help set up. He adjusted his clothes every few moments, extremely self-conscious. Phichit smiled at him, and before they all went to their respective stations, Phichit and Leo pulled everyone into a group hug in the center of the stage.

"No matter what happens, we will stay a band, right?" asked Phichit. Yuuri nodded, looking at the others and watching their heads bob up and down with his own. Yuuri risked a glance at Viktor, who was still (unsurprisingly) glowering at him. Yuuri felt confident; in other words, he had a death wish.

Viktor froze as Yuuri's arms wrapped around him. Yuuri could feel Viktor's heart beat fast against his chest, warming him, and he giggled. Viktor's arms were raised in the air in a gesture of surrender, but he didn't pull away from Yuuri. Yuuri pulled away, intending to say, 'good luck', but the look on Viktor's face surprised him so much, he stilled.

Viktor had the same look on his face as he'd had the year before, except now he was blushing furiously. As Yuuri stepped back, Viktor moved forward, bringing his hands down. Yuuri thought _Is Viktor going to hug ME?_ but Viktor seemed to get control of himself at the last second, moving back and shoving his hand into his hair, embarrassed. Yuuri laughed, turning back to the stage, a swagger in his steps he hadn't had before. When he turned back to Viktor, he was still smiling profusely, facing away from the crowd. He didn't turn back until he'd mastered his face and was back to glaring.

"How did you get Viktor to SMILE AT YOU?" whispered Phichit forcefully, bending low to Yuuri's ear. Yuuri just shrugged, his anxiety gone for the time being. When he turned to Phichit, the awed look he wore made Yuuri laugh.

"Why did you do it in the first place?"

"I don't know, it just seemed… right. It's kind of like knowing you need to turn off the burner after you're done cooking. I needed to hug him because… it was the right thing to do," Yuuri said metaphorically. He walked to the front of the stage, grinning happily.

"Go get your bass. We've got something to show them."

Then Guang-Hong counted down, and Yuuri made a split-second decision. He decided he wanted to surprise the audience.

When Yuuri was 15, he learned how to play guitar. His teacher claimed he was a natural; he was amazing at it, but Yuuri was unable to take a compliment. He ended up quitting because his teacher was getting too pushy about him performing, but he still played.

And he knew the lead part as well as Leo knew both parts.

"Leo, play rhythm!" he called, slipping the extra guitar over his neck. He strummed a few notes experimentally before Guang-Hong reached zero.

And then he started to play.

It was an immediate hit. Everyone in the audience started cheering, marveling at how well Yuuri could play. He'd never played guitar in front of an audience before, and they were going nuts because of it.

"LOCKED AND LOADED! STILL THE SAME OLD DECENT LAZY EYE, STRAIGHT THROUGH YOUR GAZE. THAT'S WHY I SAID I RELATE! I SAID I RELATE, IT'S SO FUN TO RELATE!" Yuuri yelled, jumping in the air and landing a full 360 ̊ spin, guitar and all. The red fender came disastrously close to hitting the mic stand, but Yuuri knew what he was doing. He missed it by about two inches.

The crowd cheered, watching the band rock like they'd never rocked before. The whole group was smiling, watching the crazed crowd yell and call their names. Yuuri was happy, deciding that he'd already taken one chance today; might as well take another. He glanced at Viktor.

And was glad he did.

The smile that lit Viktor's face brightened Yuuri's tenfold, which Yuuri hadn't even thought possible. Viktor watched the band play, staring at Yuuri. Something had changed within his eyes for a moment there, but when he finally noticed that the man he was staring at was staring directly back at him, he shifted his gaze. The usual, hardened look he had while he was around the History Makers was back.

But Viktor had still smiled. No matter how much Yuuri knew he would deny it, Viktor had smiled while listening to the History Makers play. He had enjoyed it. Yuuri's grin only got bigger, and he stopped singing for himself. He sang for Viktor.

There was nothing romantic about it, or so he told himself. He just felt bad for Viktor. Viktor had always tried to be rude to the History Makers, and he didn't want to change that, so he figured that even though he liked the band, he would act like he didn't. Or at least, that's what Yuuri thought. Viktor was off to the side of the stage, glaring, but he couldn't look at the History Makers.

Because whenever he did, his smile came back, his blush covering his entire face. Yuuri was surprised that his band affected Viktor this much.

It didn't even occur to him that maybe it wasn't the band that was affecting him.

Maybe Katsuki Yuuri just had a charm that went beyond the looks he was giving to the crowd.

Yuuri finished the song, pushing his guitar forward and hitting the last note with a flourish. He let go of the guitar, letting it rest against his stomach as he waved to the crowd. Yuuri couldn't keep his eyes off Viktor, though. The man looked hateful, scanning his bandmates like a tiger choosing its prey, but there was something about him that was so… entrancing. Yuuri would wave at the crowd, then sneak a look at Viktor out of the corner of his eye, and even though he looked like he'd never smiled in his life, Yuuri was brought back to the moments when Viktor had smiled.

A smile that positively lit up the sky.


	7. Chapter 7

Yuuri had hugged him.

Viktor shook his head, believing he must have been imagining things, but even while his eyes were closed he could feel Yuuri's arms around him. Although Viktor knew that he should pull away, he couldn't do it; he just held his arms above himself, trying to not wrap his arms around Yuuri in turn. He loved the feeling of Yuuri's body against his, and he—

Viktor shook away the thought. What the hell was wrong with him?

Viktor felt the heat rising in his cheeks, knowing this would ruin his reputation with the band. He kept telling himself that he hated the History Makers; that he hated Yuuri.

But as much as he hated to admit it, he didn't think that was true anymore.

No. Not anymore. He didn't think he'd ever hated Yuuri in the first place.

Viktor was thankful when Yuuri pulled away. His presence was threatening his self-control, but Viktor refused to admit the fact that he truly wanted Yuuri to hug him again. He didn't realize that he was leaning forward to return the gesture until Yuuri's smile turned into a look of shock. He'd been able to control himself at the last moment, but he cursed himself for getting that close.

Plus, judging from Yuuri's reaction, he'd gotten what Viktor had stopped himself from doing.

And he smiled.

Yuuri's set was over too quickly. When he picked up that guitar, he set the entire crowd ablaze, including Viktor. He didn't know that Yuuri could play guitar. He was also amazing at it.

He wondered if Yuuri could ki—

Viktor shook his head again, dislodging the thought before it could take root in his mind. Viktor was starting to ACTUALLY hate Yuuri now, because no woman—or man—had ever made him question himself like Yuuri did. Viktor hated questioning himself; he loved feeling confident. It was something that he rarely got to appreciate, but this moment was one of those rare times. He looked away, unable to keep a smile off his face as he stared at Yuuri, even after his performance was over.

Viktor knew that Yuuri would detest it, but he forced a glare at Yuuri's band-mates. When he saw Yuuri, he stared at him for a moment. Yuuri didn't look mad though. He looked amused. Viktor's glare was almost twice as horrifying now, a look of pure hate, and he knew it.

Then Yuuri grinned. He walked over to Viktor, smiling enormously. Standing right in front of him, he leaned forward, whispering - _Davai_ \- in his ear.

Viktor, again, felt his restraint ebbing away. Then Yuuri pulled away.

And winked.

Viktor completely lost it. He leaned forward, gaining enough control to veer from his face. He hugged him, hard, muttering,

"удачи (thank you)." Yuuri choked, flinging his arms up in a very similar way to Viktor's movements before the performance. But this time was different, because this time…

…Yuuri hugged him back.

Yuuri then pulled away, smiling the biggest smile Viktor had ever seen. Viktor, enthralled, looked into Yuuri's eyes, noticing something he found strange. Yuuri's eyes were sparkling, but not from happiness. They were sparkling with—

Yuuri turned around, smiling again before walking back stage. He didn't look back once. Viktor called his name, but he didn't answer. He just walked away.

Again.

"And here we have the second band up, Stay Close to Me. I wonder how they'll fare after History Makers' performance. They captured the audience's attention the moment they walked on stage. Can Stay Close to Me top that?" The man gestured to Viktor, who was mad again.

Yuuri did that, then just walked away? Why the hell would he do that? He thought Yuuri understood him.

Unless it was just an act.

Viktor snarled, facing the crowd again. He was determined to beat Yuuri. Even though he'd only moments ago wanted to give up the competition to help with History Makers' popularity, he rid himself of that thought the moment Yuuri walked away from him. He couldn't believe Yuuri, copying the events of last year.

"Well beat these guys to the dirt. Придурки." Viktor searched the crowd for Yuuri. Upon finding him, he shot him the most horrifying and deadly stare that he could, and Yuuri stepped back, clearly confused.

Viktor assumed he was faking it again. Yuuri mouthed something as he stared, terrified, at Viktor. Viktor made it out as Russian, then it was English. Придурки. He translated it.

How did Yuuri know Russian?

Viktor shook off his uneasy feeling, glaring at the rest of the History Makers. He wasn't going to be fooled this time.

It didn't even occur to him that the only person he was fooling was himself.

"The song we're doing is called 'White Caps'," growled Viktor into the mic, turning back to his band mates.

"Let's show them hell," he muttered devilishly. The others grinned, Otabek smirking at Viktor.

"Yes, boss."

The song was incredible. It was definitely not their best performance, but it was still amazing. Viktor copied last year, singing to Yuuri.

But this time, it was menacing.

He sneered at Yuuri, hurt him emotionally. The look he was giving Viktor in return was very different from the one the year before. Last year, he'd looked condescending, but also frightened. This year, he looked like Viktor had killed his lover.

Which, in a way, he had.

"What? TO SIEZE REVENGE," he sang, marveling at how well the lyrics went with his actions. Viktor felt in control; like he had enough power to control the world. When the song was over, he laughed manically under his breath. The look of hopelessness Yuuri was giving him tore a part of his heart, but Viktor didn't stop. He flipped him off, knowing he would lose sportsmanship points but not entirely caring.

Yuuri cried.

The tears rolled down his face, staining his cheeks and reddening his eyes. Yuuri covered his mouth. He looked confused, but mostly hurt.

Hurt beyond belief.

Yuuri ran, forcing his way through the crowd as he sobbed. Viktor hated the part of him that felt bad, but he couldn't avoid it. Viktor stood there, his middle finger sticking up in the air…

…tears rolling down his face in much the same way as Yuuri's had.

What was wrong with him? He was crying again. He didn't even know why. He'd just gotten Yuuri back for what he'd done to him.

But then it occurred to Viktor.

Yuuri hadn't done anything.

It was Viktor.

It was always Viktor.

He collapsed onto the stage, his legs on either side of him as he buried his head in his hands, crying harder than ever before.


	8. Chapter 8

The bathroom was completely devoid of people, meaning it was the place Yuuri ran to first. He ran, the tears running down his cheeks as he sprinted. He didn't understand why Viktor would do something like that. He'd thought that maybe they were making progress, that maybe Viktor would finally admit that he didn't hate the History Makers.

The bathroom was as sparse as Yuuri hoped, and he ran into the corner of the room, sitting on the floor and lying his head in his hands. He tucked his knees up in front of him, getting tears on his pants but not caring.

What had he done?

Yuuri sat there for the better part of an hour. He could hear his bandmates trying to find him, but they hadn't thought where he actually was. I mean, who would want to spend their time in the bathroom?

Yuuri didn't care much at this point.

Yuuri's tears had long run out, and his eyes throbbed with the pain of dry-sobbing. He hadn't moved the entire time, trying to ascertain what it was that made Viktor hate him again.

"Yuuri?" The voice that came through the door caused Yuuri to curl even farther into a ball, but when he looked up, he saw that Viktor had the same problem he had. His eyes were red and puffy, his sleeves stained with tears. He stood at the door, debating whether or not to come in. When he'd made his decision, he closed the door carefully behind him and walked slowly across the tile room. He looked sorry; like he'd made a bad mistake.

"Why are you even here? Wanting to gloat some more? Hurt me more?" He took a deep breath.

"WHAT THE HELL DID I EVER DO TO YOU?!" Yuuri yelled at him, surprising Viktor so much he stepped back. He looked shocked for a moment, but then he just looked down sadly. Yuuri wondered what had changed to make Viktor so different than before. He just stood there, staring at Yuuri and looking completely desolate.

Viktor moved, startling Yuuri. He curled up, yelling,

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Viktor stopped in his tracks, but ultimately kept moving. He slipped down the wall next to Yuuri, rubbing his eyes. Yuuri sobbed next to him, shying away from his touch. Yuuri hated him now; Viktor hadn't done anything but insult him the entire time they'd known each other. Yuuri thought, at one point, that he could help him; get him out of that pool of hate, but Viktor seemed happy to stay there. He always seemed to enjoy being hateful, too.

What was different this time?

Viktor's arm snaked sideways, touching Yuuri's arm. This sent him over the edge.

"WHY DO YOU HATE US SO MUCH?! WHAT DID WE EVER DO TO YOU?!" he screamed in Viktor's face turning on him. Viktor's face quickly went from surprised to angry.

"I DON'T HATE THE BAND!" he shot back.

"THEN WHAT THE HELL IS **WRONG** WITH YOU?! WHY DO YOU ACT LIKE IT?!"

"I-I—" Viktor looked lost.

"IS IT **ME?!** DO YOU HATE ME?!" yelled Yuuri, his voice raising even higher in volume. Viktor looked extremely angry.

"I DON'T HATE YOU! DON'T YOU GET IT?! **I DON'T HATE YOU!** " he shot at Yuuri, getting even closer to him, screaming in his face.

"THEN WHAT IS IT?" Yuuri threw his hands up and huffed,

"WHY DO YOU ACT LIKE IT? WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?"

"You didn't do anything," Viktor was losing some of his steam.

"WELL IF YOU DON'T HATE ME, THEN WHAT IS IT? CAUSE I CAN'T THINK OF ANY OTHER REASON! YOU DO, DON'T YOU? I KNEW IT. YOU HATE ME. YOU JUST DON'T WANT TO ADMIT YOU DON'T HAVE A REASON!" This fueled Viktor on.

"I DON'T HATE YOU! I'VE ALREADY TOLD YOU, **I DON'T HATE YOU, YUURI**!"

"THEN WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?! I DON'T—"

" **I LOVE YOU**!" He looked Yuuri directly in the eyes, sending him some unspoken message. Yuuri jolted, shocked away from him.

"You—you what?" Viktor leaned back, taking a deep breath. Yuuri sat there, his eyes wide. He shook his head, closing his lids for a moment. When he opened them again, he looked at Viktor, searching for some sign that he was lying.

"At last year's performance, my band mates were hating me. I wouldn't talk about anything but the History Makers, but most specifically, Katsuki Yuuri. They told me to chill; to stop talking about you and the band. I started trying to find a reason to hate you, to get you out of my mind, but I couldn't. I invited you to play with us."

"I saw you in the audience that night. I didn't understand my feelings then; I didn't actually figure it out until I saw you run away earlier." He gulped, cursing himself.

"When I sang to you, you left. I thought you were rejecting me; that it was proof that you didn't care about my band. That maybe you only took the gig because it was a chance to play, and that you didn't actually like my band. It bothered me more than it should have, but—"

"I have anxiety," Yuuri interrupted.

"What?"

"I-I have anxiety. I've looked up to you ever since I first saw your band, and I was nervous to talk to you. When you sang to me, it put a lot of attention on me, and I panicked. I wouldn't have wanted to leave, but I couldn't take it." Viktor looked even more horrified.

"Then… then how do you perform?" Yuuri sighed.

"It takes a lot of… well… meditation is one way to describe it. But when I'm actually on stage, I'm fine. It wasn't always this way; I used to panic the entire time, so I couldn't even perform. I'm sorry, I just felt you should know that." Viktor looked thankful.

"I thought that you walking away was, like, a show of hate or something. I don't know. I thought I would get back at you. It wasn't right, I know, but…" Viktor looked on the verge of crying again.

"And just then, before the performance. I called out to you. I wanted to talk. But you just walked away from me again. I thought it was an act. That you only pretended to understand me," muttered Viktor.

"I…" started Yuuri.

"I never hated you." Yuuri looked to Viktor, trying to look him directly in the eyes.

"I… um… oh, geez, this is weird," he closed his eyes and shook his head. He looked about to say something, but thought better of it. Viktor looked up at him, tears rolling down his face again. Yuuri smiled a little.

"I never hated you." He reached out, taking Viktor's hand. He leaned towards Viktor.

"I don't think you're the only one to have felt that way, by the way. I… I think I love you, too." Yuuri smiled at Viktor, taking in the confused look on his face.

Then he leaned forward and kissed him lightly, wrapping his arm around Viktor's waist. Viktor, getting over the initial shock, kissed him harder. He smiled brightly, leaning into Yuuri, who just laughed.

Oh, how had they come to this?


	9. Chapter 9

"Viktor," Yuuri mumbled.

"Hmmmm?" Viktor smiled, brushing Yuuri's hair away from his face. He smiled.

"We should go. The others will be waiting for us."

"Let them wait," he said, kissing Yuuri again. They were still sitting on the bathroom floor, but the mood had changed greatly. While Yuuri and Viktor had been yelling only moments ago, they were now laughing and kissing like a high-school couple.

"No, no, come on… We've got to help. We're a part of our bands," Yuuri said smiling as Viktor tried to kiss him again before laughing. He stood, holding a hand out to Viktor and helping him up. The walked to the other end of the bathroom, holding hands tightly. Viktor let go a moment as he put Yuuri's number into his phone. Yuuri did the same.

"Wait… how do we do this," asked Yuuri worriedly, his hand on the door.

"Hunh?"

"Well… the last time they saw us you flipped me off and I ran away crying. It would look weird if an hour later we were walking through the room holding hands." He gestured pointedly to their clasped hands. Viktor laughed. It was a beautiful sound in Yuuri's ears.

"Yeah, that would, wouldn't it?" Viktor lifted Yuuri's hand, kissing it lightly before letting it go. Yuuri smiled, saying,

"You can do better than that." He kissed Viktor again before letting go and letting him slip out the door. Yuuri followed about 5 minutes later, trying his best to not look star-struck. He walked back to his bandmates, wrapping his arms around himself. Phichit ran up to him, saying,

"Hey, what happened? You seem almost… happy."

What was he thinking, trying to fool his best friends?

"Nothing. I'm just trying to be positive."

"Dude, I'm gonna kill that guy. First, he insulted you, then he flipped you off. What kind of a jerk does that?!" Phichit mumbled under his breath.

"No! I mean…" Yuuri stopped himself. Phichit turned back to him, smirking.

"Why not?" Phichit had a sneaky look on his face that made Yuuri's cheeks go red.

"What happened, Yuuri?"

"N-nothing! Let's pack up tonight's supplies and set out tomorrow's, okay?" Yuuri looked desperate. Phichit laughed, but Yuuri knew he would drop it. Phichit wouldn't leave him alone though. Once they were done (nearly two hours later), Yuuri slipped over to a corner of the room, pulling out his phone. When Yuuri looked up, he saw Phichit across the room. He looked pensive.

Yuuri didn't use his phone that often in public, so he knew it would set off Phichit's internal alarm. He decided he would make it quick.

VIKTOR _-Meet me by the vending machines. I wish to see you._

YUURI- _Be there in five :)_

Phichit was getting closer. Yuuri quickly slipped his phone back into his pocket, smiling at Phichit before turning and heading in the opposite direction. Phichit wasn't ready to let it go, though.

"Let me see your phone. Who you texting? Got a girlfriend you didn't tell me about?" Phichit asked, smirking. He tried to grab for Yuuri's phone, but Yuuri grabbed it and held it in his hand, keeping it away from Phichit.

"Dude, what is up with you?" Phichit asked, his smirk turning into a frown of confusion.

"I- I just… it's private."

"Definitely secret girlfriend. Yuuri, you can tell me! You know I won't judge you."

"Oh, Phichit, on this one, you would," he turned and sprinted down the hall, turning the corner. He could hear Phichit calling out to him, but he didn't stop. He saw Viktor by the vending machines.

"Hey!" Viktor smiled. Yuuri flew around the corner, running straight into Viktor's arms. He turned, expecting to see Phichit around the corner, but the man was gone.

"You said you wanted to see me?"

"Yeah! It's been almost two hours! How could you leave me this long?" He leaned forward, intending to kiss Yuuri, but Yuuri moved back.

"Let's find someplace more private. Phichit is on to me, and I don't want him to freak out," Yuuri whispered, turning and looking behind him. He pulled Viktor into a dark corner all the way at the end of the hall, smiling brightly at him.

Viktor kissed him, laughing. He hugged him tightly. They kissed again, Yuuri's eyes sparkling with love. He snuggled against Viktor.

"Yuuri! Where did you go?" called Phichit. Yuuri pulled away from Viktor, mouthing Phichit's name. they quickly looked for a way out, suddenly realizing they were trapped.

"What do we do?!" whispered Yuuri, adding, "He won't talk to me if he sees us together! Or he'll just make some cryptic comment that would only make it worse," He said, grimacing. Viktor looked at him and snickered.

"What?" Yuuri looked nervous.

"Oh, just you! You're hilarious! 'cryptic comment' with a grimace! That's great!" He was full-on laughing at this point, and Yuuri was finding it difficult not to laugh. Yuuri hit Viktor lightly on the shoulder, giggling quietly.

When Phichit turned the corner, they were both laughing hard, gasping for breath. Yuuri didn't really know why it was so funny, but he loved laughing with Viktor. They held each other up with their arms, bending over they were laughing so hard. Viktor looked at Yuuri, grinning like a maniac. He told himself that he wouldn't kiss Yuuri with one of their friends around, but the enormous smile on Yuuri's face was making it too difficult to resist.

Phichit choked, dropping his phone on the floor. Yuuri leaned in, kissing Viktor back, but then he remembered Phichit. He pulled back, turning to Phichit.

"Look, I can explain—!" Phichit grabbed his phone, flipping it to the camera icon. He snapped a picture. While it didn't have Yuuri and Viktor kissing, it was pretty obvious by their faces that they were caught doing something, and it wouldn't take a genius to figure that they were kissing. Yuuri rushed over to Phichit, grabbing his phone. Phichit jumped forward, having become extremely attached to it.

"Yuuri, what're you—"

"Please don't post this!" Yuuri interrupted, standing back. Phichit nodded in assent, getting Yuuri to return the phone to his hands.

"How did this happen?" asked Phichit, stepping back. He looked as though he were attempting to conceal his interest, but it wasn't working. Yuuri and Viktor looked at the floor.

"We had a little chat."

"A chat, hunh? You sure that's all that happened?"

"I admitted my love to my Yuuri," Viktor said, slinging his arm over Yuuri's shoulder. Yuuri looked over at him, embarrassment flooding his face.

"V-Viktor!" he said, shrinking.

"YOUR Yuuri. Woah, dude, first you treat him like crap, then you're suddenly in love with him? Why am I skeptical?" Phichit stood back, looking at Viktor. Yuuri looked at Viktor, curious, but then he seemed to remember what Viktor told him. He shook his head at Phichit as if to say, _No, he's telling the truth._ Phichit rolled his eyes, clearly not convinced.

"Now, come on, Yuuri. We still need to practice for tomorrow, and I need to restring my bass. Let's go," Phichit said, gesturing away from Viktor. Yuuri walked down the hall, but he heard Viktor talking Phichit.

"I still don't trust you. You hated us for so long, and I…" Phichit gasped, a startled sound that made him pause. Yuuri turned and looked back around. Viktor was giving Phichit a noogie, saying,

"Don't worry. I thought that Yuuri hated me, that's why. I was trying to meet him so I could talk to him, and he just walked away. I don't know why you'd even think that I don't actually like him."

"I get that you may love him, but I still don't think your intentions are honorable." He pulled away rubbing his head. Viktor apologized, and Phichit paused. Yuuri could tell he still wasn't used to Viktor being so nice, but that didn't mean he was warming up to Viktor at all.

"If you hur—"

"If I hurt Yuuri, you'll kill me. I know. You think I haven't heard this before?" Viktor interrupted, laughing at the angry look Phichit gave him.

"Hey, calm down! I was just trying to be funny! Lighten the mood you know?" Viktor walked towards him, waving his hands back and forth in a _stop_ gesture. Phichit sighed, turning.

"I have to practice. See you later I guess, Viktor," Phichit said, waving a hand in farewell.

"See you! Tell my Yuuri I miss him already!" Viktor was waving and jumping up and down. Yuuri could see the smile on Phichit's face, though. Even though he still wasn't sure about Viktor, Yuuri could tell that Phichit wasn't going to be a jerk about it anymore. Because Viktor was funny; he was back to the way he was prior to their performance the year before, which was extremely lovable.

Yuuri turned and ran to the other room, still wondering how the man that had seemed to hate him for so long had actually loved him this entire time.


	10. Chapter 10

The competition went as usual, except now Yuuri and Viktor were on better terms (MUCH better). When Yuuri arrived the next day, Stay Close to Me was practicing on the stage, preparing their set. Viktor stopped in the middle of a song to come down and say hi to Yuuri, smiling brightly.

JJ, Otabek, and Chris were all shocked.

"I thought you hated those guys!" yelled Otabek. Chris turned towards him and said, _it's about time,_ but JJ just glared at them.

"WE WERE IN THE MIDDLE OF PRACTICE, VIKTOR! GET BACK HERE!" He hit the snare loudly, startling Viktor.

"Oh, JJ! Sorry. Just saying hi to Yuuri!" Viktor hugged Yuuri, squeezing his hand and winking.

"See you later!" Viktor climbed back on stage, smiling.

"Okay, I'm back! Sorry, I just wanted to say hi!" Chris was thoroughly unconvinced.

"You have hated Yuuri for an entire year, and then you get off stage in the MIDDLE of the song JUST TO SAY HI?" Chris crossed his arms over the guitar, making Viktor snicker. Chris glared at him.

"No, it's just… your face!" Viktor laughed hard, but it didn't last long. Chris grabbed the front of his shirt, staring him directly in the eyes.

"Viktor, what is up with you, honestly?!" Viktor choked. He tried to grab Chris' arm to make him let go, but Chris just dropped him on the stage.

"Chris, I realized that it wasn't them I hated. That I never truly hated Yuuri." Chris looked confused, saying,

"Dude, you acted like you wanted to kill them. What the hell was up with you? Is STILL up with you?"

"I was insensitive. Stupid. I didn't understand my feelings and instead misinterpreted them to mean something that they didn't." Viktor was getting impatient.

"Viktor, dude. Try to make more sense."

"Chris, why is it your business? Focus on something other than me for once." Viktor brushed himself off, standing up and turning to the mic. He held it and pointed to JJ.

"Count it in."

It was the best performance they'd had in years. Viktor's voice was filled with emotions he hadn't sang with since the year before. It was filled with happiness, understanding.

Love.

Chris was taken aback. He played his heart out, but it didn't even match to Viktor's singing. He'd gone up an entire level in one night. Viktor could see this by the way he'd turn and look at the band every few moments.

Viktor finished the song 'Everybody Loves Me', swinging his mic in tight concentric circles at one point. From the way Chris was smiling, Viktor could see that whatever this new Viktor was, he liked it. Viktor grinned.

"WAOOOOOOOOOO!" Viktor sang, closing his eyes tightly as he finished the last note. He was happy; he knew that his performance had improved greatly since last night. Viktor opened his eyes staring at the doorway, where he saw a young man smiling and happy. He was clapping, walking towards them. Yuuri looked impressed beyond belief. But then something went wrong.

"Viktor?" Yuuri started running towards him.

"VIKTOR!"

Then Viktor collapsed on the stage, his mind going blank as he hit the floor.


	11. Chapter 11

When Viktor's face went pale, Yuuri knew something was wrong. He sprinted as fast as he could, watching the confusion on Viktor's face morph into absolutely nothing at all. His eyes rolled up into his head, and he collapsed onto the stage.

"VIKTOR!" Yuuri ran up the stairs, pushing through Viktor's clustered band mates. He fell to his knees, pulling Viktor up onto his lap. Checking his pulse, he felt a faint beat, and he sighed with relief.

But Viktor still wasn't breathing.

"Somebody call the hospital! He's dying!" Chris sprang into action, pulling out his phone and dialing the police. Once the call was made, he crouched down next to Yuuri. Yuuri could tell he was surprised by the tears on his face.

"What happened to him?!" He pressed his forehead against Viktor's, crying loudly.

"I don't know, Yuuri. I don't know." Chris lightly held Yuuri's wrist, tugging him away from Viktor. Yuuri glared at him, holding onto Viktor for dear life.

"We have to give him space!" yelled Chris. Yuuri wasn't taking any of it. He leaned down.

"Viktor, please, if you love me, wake up!" He kissed him lightly on the mouth, hugging him. Chris stepped back; Yuuri knew his gestures of affection were surprising to him and the rest of Viktor's band mates, but he wouldn't stop because of that.

The ambulance arrived in minutes, but it felt like forever. One of the medical personnel asked the band what happened, listening to each of them in turn.

"Okay, only one person can come in the ambulance with us. Do you know if Mr. Nikiforov has a girlfriend and such?" Yuuri stepped forward.

"I'll go. Please. He doesn't have a girlfriend. I'm the closest he's got." The man looked fine with this, and he pulled Yuuri up into the van. Yuuri sat on the farthest end of the ambulance, the tears in his eyes impeding his vision. He stared at Viktor as the three other doctors took his blood pressure, monitored his heart, etc. He looked terrified.

When the doctor closed the doors, Yuuri asked the man what had happened to Viktor, the tears in his eyes threatening to spill over. The man looked at Yuuri.

"We don't have any definitive causes of illness at the moment, and it wouldn't be fair to claim anything either. It could be as severe as a severe Flu or worse, but it could also be as mild as a cold. He doesn't seem to have had much liquids in the past few days, so it could be that as well. We truly don't know yet." Yuuri felt his head slink downwards, his tears running freely against his cheeks.

"The only thing we CAN say definitively is that it is very unlikely that he will die at this point." Yuuri nodded, still not entirely convinced.

The hospital was a tall 27 story brick building seated right on the beach. Yuuri barely noticed the impressive building before they were inside the garage. He was too busy focusing on Viktor, whose face was set in a look of serenity, but Yuuri knew that this didn't mean anything about what was going on inside. The mask over his face blocked much of his face from Yuuri's view, but his hand lay open, an IV sticking out of his arm near the elbow. Yuuri reached out, grabbing his hand. He gripped it tightly, crying freely at this point. The doctor put his arm on Yuuri's shoulder, reminding him of Viktor's touch earlier that day. Yuuri pulled away, crying harder.

He hadn't even had one day with Viktor before he got sick.

The doctors rushed Viktor from the van, Yuuri running behind. The doors peeled open, and the medics wheeled Viktor into one of the emergency rooms. They got to work, checking him for various illnesses and such.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Katsuki, but you can't stay here. Only family can come in here with him," said the doctor he'd spoken to in the van. He was reluctantly pulled away from Viktor into another room adjacent to Viktor's room.

Yuuri sat in the room for nearly four hours. The doctors continued working on Viktor. Yuuri was reunited with Viktor's band mates nearly an hour into his stay. They'd taken a car, but there had been traffic, and it had taken them a while to get to the hospital. When the doctor finally came in, hour later, they'd released the information that Viktor was in a coma.

Yuuri, Chris, JJ, Otabek, and Yuri Plisetzky, who they'd started to call Yurio, all sat there unmoving, shocked into silence. They asked what had happened to him.

"ARDS." A look of confusion.

"Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. It means that he has fluid in his lungs, similar to a pneumonia. It's reducing the amount of oxygen that's able to be transported throughout the body in the blood. It was triggered by the Flu, but his sickness wasn't that bad before ARDS set in. ARDS can be a deadly illness, but we expect that he'll recover. We won't know if he'll suffered any long-term problems until after he wakes up from his coma, however." The doctor looked sad, leaving the room quietly as it was filled with sobbing.

 _3 days later_. _4:32 AM._

"Guys…" Yuuri shook their shoulders, his relief barely visible beneath his tears of happiness.

"He's awake! Guys, he's awake!" Yuuri yelled. Chris woke up, sitting up in his chair and running into the room. Otabek and Yurio were next. JJ was the hardest to wake up, but was up and in with the others in moments, Yuuri running close behind.

Viktor sat up in the bed, talking to Chris as he laughed. Yuuri felt his heart swell, happiness filling him to the brim.

"Otabek, JJ! Yurio!" He called. Viktor embraced each of them. Yuuri ran up to him, hugging him tightly. Viktor didn't hug him back very much though. When he pulled back, the tears on his face still flowing, Viktor looked confused.

"And who, may I ask are you?" He looked at Yuuri, not an air of recognition in his eyes. Yuuri stood back, staring at Viktor as he backed up. Then he turned and sprinted from the room, tears flowing from his eyes and hitting the tile floor as he ran.


	12. Chapter 12

Viktor didn't remember him. That was the only long-term issue that they'd found in Viktor. In retrospect, Viktor could tell that Yuuri felt conflicted, because he knew he should be happy that Viktor was even alive, and that he wasn't in a coma anymore, but he didn't.

Viktor was sad that he couldn't remember this man. He wished he did. Yuuri looked nice, sweet, anxious, and completely, irreversibly in love with him. But no matter how hard they tried, Viktor just… didn't know.

The band competition had been postponed. The owners of the venue said that they wanted to keep it on the roster in case Viktor still wanted to finish it. He did, which was a relief to everyone. The sickness made him a little short of breath when he woke up, but he was fine within the hour. The medics still suggested that he not sing for at least the next few days, but that was the only repercussion they gave him, so Viktor readily agreed, excited that he was going to get to sing at all.

Viktor went home the same day, the doctors finding nothing wrong with him, despite his minor amnesia. Yuuri still walked with him and the others, but he wouldn't talk to Viktor. But there was something about the way Yuuri was walking that bothered him.

"No… not again…" Yuuri whispered to himself.

Like this had happened before.

Viktor and the rest of his band went to his house, and Viktor went back to bed. It was 4AM, and even though he'd been in a coma for three days, he was exhausted. He slept until late in the afternoon.

Viktor didn't speak to Yuuri for a week and a half; Yuuri wouldn't let him. The performance was scheduled for that evening, and the day passed quickly for Viktor. His band was going before Yuuri's, so he climbed the stairs with his band. He stood on the stage, listening to JJ count in the song.

Yuuri caught Viktor's eye as he stood in the audience. He stared at him for a moment, a look of such fierce look that he felt a pang in his chest just looking at him. He realized, as he looked, that he did want to meet Yuuri. He wanted to know him.

Viktor's heart spasmed in his chest. Something about that sounded so familiar.

He just wanted to get to know…

Viktor felt his consciousness slipping away, but this time, he welcomed it.

 _One year ago. The day before History Makers and Stay Close to Me's first performance together._

A loud slam! echoed with the sound of Viktor's body hitting the cement, and Yuuri screamed.

"Viktor! Viktor!" He crouched over Viktor's unmoving body, screaming his name over and over. Nobody came; that was the reason they'd come to this place. They didn't want anyone to find them. Viktor and Yuuri had been together for a while now, but they'd kept their relationship secret, not entirely sure how the others would react. Viktor was the lady's man, and Yuuri was just another guy who sang for a moderately popular band in Kyushu.

They'd met a few months before, at a bar. Viktor had seen Yuuri across the room and recognized him, wanting to meet him. They'd gotten quite drunk, and Yuuri had asked Viktor out on a date, giving him his number. When Yuuri woke up the next morning, he had a saucy message from Viktor he didn't understand, but he met up with Viktor anyway. Viktor remembered more of the night before than Yuuri did, but it still wasn't much. They were both awkward and really quite embarrassed, but they hung out anyway.

Yuuri had kissed him on their way home. He'd felt the urge to, and he just couldn't stop himself. Viktor had gone home with him, and they hung out and watched movies until early the next day. That was when they had decided to keep their budding relationship a secret; they had figured if it sprouted, they would tell the others, but if it didn't it wouldn't create anything between the two bands. They agreed that this was for the best, and so continued meeting in secret for the next few months.

Then Viktor collapsed while they were out. It was completely unprecedented; he'd never had any health problem before, and Yuuri was terrified. He'd called the police, staying with him until the ambulance came. They'd taken him to the hospital with them, but he left as soon as Otabek, JJ, and Chris arrived. Yurio and Otabek weren't dating yet, so he wasn't there, but the others were all present.

Viktor woke up at home the next day with no memory of the incident.

Or of Yuuri and his' relationship.

Yuuri had wanted to approach him at the performance the year before, but he didn't. He had anxiety; he was worried about how Viktor would take the fact that he wasn't there. Then, when Viktor stood on the stage and sang to him, Yuuri realized something. He saw it in Viktor's eyes. He didn't know him anymore.

Yuuri left, knowing that he didn't want to be with Viktor if he had to meet him all over again. He felt that maybe the only reason that he and Viktor had connected was because of their time at the club. He wasn't sure if Viktor would want to know him at all.

That was why he left.

Viktor had sung to him the day after, unsure of why at the time. He sang to him because a part of him locked in the prison of amnesia was telling him that he still loved this man. That was why it hurt so much when Yuuri had walked away. Because Viktor still loved him. Even though he couldn't remember him, he still loved him. Yuuri had kept their relationship a secret after he woke up because he didn't want Viktor to completely reject him.

Yuuri had always loved him.

And Viktor had, too.

 _Present day. 11PM. JJ just counted in, and the song began._

Viktor jolted forward, slamming against the music stand. He gripped his head before looking out to Yuuri in the audience, remembering those stolen moments the year before, and the few after. Viktor felt emotions flood his body, and he felt the tears well up in his eyes.

However, they weren't tears of sadness, or anger.

They were completely, one hundred percent happiness.

He remembered Yuuri.

He remembered.


	13. Chapter 13

Yuuri could see the change in Viktor the moment it happened. The song had just started, and one moment, Viktor was looking at him without a hint of recognition, the next moment, something snapped. Viktor jerked forward, and it took all of Yuuri's energy to not run to his aid. He figured Viktor wouldn't appreciate it. He didn't know him, after all.

Then Viktor looked at him, smiling. He mouthed something to Yuuri that he didn't catch, but Viktor grinned brightly, recognition lighting up his eyes.

And he started to sing to him.

Yuuri knew that he should go, but for some reason, he couldn't. He hadn't had trouble last time this happened, the year before, but something was holding him in place. He stared into Viktor's eyes, his love overwhelming his desire to leave. He watched as Viktor sang his heart out to him.

"Oh, my, feels just like I don't try, looks so good I might die, all I know is everybody loves me! Head down, swaying to my own sound, flashes in my face now, all I know is everybody loves me! Everybody loves meeeeeeeeee!" Viktor sang, looking straight at Yuuri the entire time. If Yuuri hadn't known better, he would have assumed that maybe Viktor remembered.

But that was impossible.

Wasn't it?

Viktor looked begging, like he wanted Yuuri to know something. He reached out to him, motioning for him to come up on stage. Yuuri stepped back, surprised, telling himself he wouldn't go. Viktor hit the last note, tears leaking from his eyes.

"I remember, Yuuri," he said into the mic. Yuuri looked up, shocked.

"Everything. The bar that night. The Pier, when I fell. The times I went to your house. Last week. I remember it all." Yuuri stared up at the stage, the full meaning of Viktor's words hitting him like a cannonball. Not only did Viktor remember what had happened last week, he could remember before that. Before the first incident. There was no way he could be lying about it because Yuuri and Viktor hadn't told anyone, and no-one else knew about the Pier. The day that Viktor had passed out. They had seen him at the emergency room after, but none of them were told that Yuuri had been there.

He was telling the truth. He remembered.

Yuuri couldn't control himself. He ran, shoving through the crowd as they stared, but this time he didn't care. Viktor stared at his face, surprised and confused, but he didn't move. Yuuri ran to him, the tears streaming from his face. He flew up the stairs onto the stage, his feet slipping on the top stair, but that didn't so much as slow him down. He just rushed into Viktor's arms, throwing him to the ground as he kissed him.

Viktor laughed, wrapping his arms around Yuuri's shoulders. He closed his eyes, his heart beating fast against Yuuri's chest. Yuuri pulled back, saying,

"You-you remember!" He climbed off Viktor, helping him up. The entire audience had gone silent, but they did care. Yuuri just held his hand and dragged him off the stage after him, pulling him outside of the bar.

Yuuri stood facing Viktor, holding both his hands. It was cold outside; it snowed the week before, but Yuuri and Viktor didn't care, they were too focused on each other.

"Yuuri, I know why you did it. I know why you walked away. And I know why it affected me so much. Some part of me still loved you, and to see you walk away from me like that; it broke my heart. I know that wasn't your intention, but I get it now! I get everything now." Viktor shivered, his fingers shaking against Yuuri's hands. Yuuri tugged him back inside, smiling at him.

"Viktor, I'm so sorry for the way I've acted this past week. I wasn't thinking about how it would have affected you. I just…" He paused.

"You wanted to give me the opportunity to figure things out on my own and not be clingy. I get it, but I still wish that you didn't." Yuuri nodded, looking up at Viktor, a confused look on his face.

"What do you think made you remember this time and not last time?" Viktor smiled wanly.

"You." Yuuri's brow furrowed.

"I mean, you being here this time. Last time, I didn't see you. You didn't give me the chance to remember; you just walked away. I think that me being around you helped." Viktor smiled brightly, inspiration striking him.

"Let's surprise them!" He said, smiling.

"What?" Viktor told Yuuri his idea, grinning. It was completely off subject, but leave it to Viktor to be random. They brainstormed ideas. They only had an hour to decide what to do, but then Yuuri brought up an idea that not only correlated with their situations, but that also had a lot to do with Yuuri's band.

"Okay, let's do it!" said Viktor enthusiastically. He leaned forward and kissed Yuuri, muttering,

"You should go get ready though. I'm gonna tell the others. See you later, love!" Viktor rushed away, smiling brightly. Yuuri stood there, looking at his hands.

Viktor remembered.

He'd never been happier in his life.

Yuuri laughed, smiling brighter than he had in years.


	14. Chapter 14

The History Makers gathered on stage, breathing a collective sigh as the announcer introduced them and revealed the song they were going to play; 'Thought'. Yuuri smiled into the mic, wrapping his hand around it firmly as he grinned.

"You all ready for this?" he called into the crowd, bending the mic forward and pointing into the crowd. Yuuri absentmindedly searched the crowd for Viktor, even though he knew the man would be backstage revealing their plan to the club managers. Although Viktor had been skeptical, Yuuri assumed they would readily agree; it meant more business.

Never mind they hadn't even revealed it to Stay Close to Me yet, even though they were the planned backing band.

The crowd roared in approval as Guang-Hong counted in the song, crying out the numbers as he hit his sticks together. The sound they made high above his head echoed around the room, as the entire audience had gone silent. Yuuri felt his heart threaten to burst in his chest as his anxiety reached dangerous levels, but he forced it down, determined to give the best performance possible. He grabbed the mic with both hands, opening his mouth.

And he began to sing.

Yuuri felt his pain, his worry, his anxiety ebb away as the song flowed through him. The low vibrations from Phichit's bass shook the room, but no-one seemed to notice. Everyone was to focused on Yuuri's deep, soulful singing. He sang into the mic, his body moving sub-consciously with the beat. Yuuri could feel a smile inch its way onto his face as he let out all he'd been feeling these past few days; the anger, sadness, hate...

...love.

Yuuri barely noticed Viktor inching closer amidst the audience until he was mere feet away, his head bobbing up and down to the music. Yuuri smiled brightly, his smile covering his entire face. Suddenly, the audience disappeared, and it was just him a Viktor, watching each other. The song made him feel pride, no matter that it wasn't the best one he'd ever written. It was a good song; he'd admit that, but Stay Close to Me had better musical themes and lyrics. They were just overall a better band.

But their singer, Viktor Nikiforov, the handsome, beautiful man, was his.

Yuuri smirked, looking at Viktor and wondering how many people in the audience would hate their relationship.

Judging from the amount of people who were trying to inch their way to Viktor's side and staring moony-eyed at him, quite a few.

"I had a thought, I had a tho-o-oght. I had a thought, I had a tho-o-ought..." Yuuri grinned, singing directly to Viktor, watching his face light up and slip away from the groups of girls who were following him everywhere. Viktor was directly in front of Yuuri, and Yuuri knelt in front of him, singing directly in front of his face. Viktor was happy, grinning at Yuuri with a conspiratorial grin on his face.

Yuuri finished the song, not budging from his position on the stage. Viktor, taking this opportunity to mean something more than was obviously intended on Yuuri's part, leaned forward and kissed him.

Yuuri hugged him tightly, pulling away after a few moments. The entire crowd lit up; cheering or booing. Yuuri and his band slipped off the stage, rushing directly into the crowd, Yuuri running to embrace Viktor as the crowd surged forward. The judges, who sat at a small oblong table on the side of the room, smiled at the bands, writing furiously. Three of them were done in seconds, but the last judge seemed fairly stuck. She kept scribbling on her sheet, the eraser that had moments ago been pink and new missing from the end of her pencil. Her face was scrunched up in a look of fierce concentration. The moment she was done, the pencil flew from her hand and she threw her pencil across the room. A young woman came around, gathering the cards and slipping up on stage lithely.

Yuuri looked to Viktor. No matter what happened, Viktor and him would still be together.

Plus, Yuuri already knew who was going to win.

While the History Makers had practiced and gotten better at writing songs and performing them, Stay Close to Me had always had an advantage, unfair or not. Yuuri knew that his band wasn't going to win. He was happy however, because Viktor's band would get more popularity and such. He smiled at Viktor, readying himself for the inevitable verdict.

"The winner of this competition and fourteen hundred dollars..."

Yuuri felt his heart stop.

What?!


	15. Chapter 15

Yuuri couldn't help the gasp that slipped from his throat as soon as he heard this proclamation. He looked at the rest of his band questioningly, but they seemed just as lost as he was. Viktor tensed beside him when he heard the reference to fourteen hundred dollars, but when Yuuri looked up at his face, he saw that Viktor's brows were scrunched together and his lips were puckered in a slight frown. He was confused as well.

What?

The audience cheered, and Yuuri realized he'd missed the verdict. Viktor seemed to catch it, though, because he jerked.

"Viktor?" Yuuri asked, glancing into his face. He looked down, pride filling his features. Yuuri was feeling awkward, unsure what to say.

"Congratulations!" Viktor yelled, kissing Yuuri hard on the lips. Yuuri stepped back startled.

"Well, shouldn't I be the one telling you that?" He asked, confused.

"Yuuri... did you not hear?" Viktor looked confused, but then it dawned on him. He hugged Yuuri, whispering in his ear,

"You won." Yuuri gasped, finally noticing his cheering bandmates and the murderous looks on Stay Close to Me's faces. He felt his heart swell, and he hugged Viktor tightly.

"I'm sorry you didn't win. I thought you would!"

"Yuuri, I always knew you'd win." Yuuri and Viktor stood there a moment, laughing lightly. Then Yuuri pulled back, confusion etching his features.

"Did you know about the money?" Viktor looked at him, suddenly overcome with wonder.

"No. I thought the whole thing was just for bragging rights." He winked at Yuuri, giving him a big smile. Yuuri rolled his eyes, smirking, but then he returned to being confused.

"I'm going to ask them what this is about." Yuuri slipped away from Viktor, who pecked him on the cheek as he walked away. He walked over to the front of the room by the stage and inquired about the money; the announcer commented that it was a last minute donation from one of their patrons. The man, Celestino, was a vocal coach at the nearby school of arts. He heard their voices and donated a large sum of money to the winners to keep them going.

Viktor had slipped up to Yuuri at the front without him realizing, and Yuuri jumped when he heard Viktor whisper in his ear.

"Congratulations Yuuri. You deserve it." He wrapped his arms around Yuuri and perched his head on Yuuri's shoulder, closing his eyes to the canned music blaring through the speakers.

"Viktor, we have to get ready!" He shouted in Viktor's ear, the poor man jerking upwards and covering his ear.

"Yuuri, you are going to be the death of me. But you're right." He grabbed Yuuri's hand.

"Let's go!" They both rushed backstage, Yuuri slipping on his outfit for the last song while Viktor just removed his coat.

"You were wearing it this WHOLE TIME?" Yuuri asked, perplexed.

"Umm... yes?" He posed it as a question, slipping on his gloves. Yuuri just rolled his eyes, smiling lightly.

 _"And now, we have a special performance by Stand By Me... with a guest!"_ Yuuri and Viktor scrambled, rushing for the stage. They both gripped their stands as they climbed the stairs.

The music started floating around Yuuri and Viktor as they started the song. The crowd was pin-drop silent. The song they heard soaring through the air was like nothing they'd never heard before.

Not to mention it had been written in less than an hour, written to show Viktor and Yuuri's love for each other.

Yuuri opened his mouth, singing at Viktor. He wore a version of the outfit Viktor had worn to his performance the year before; a blue to match the pink. Yuuri's voice was perfect for the song; his slight accent only added to its beauty and complexity.

"Can you hear, my heartbeat? Tired of feeling, never enough. I, close my eyes and, tell myself that my dreams will come true." Viktor smiled at Yuuri, taking over.

"There'll be no more darkness when you believe in, yourself you are unstoppable. Where your destiny lies, dancing on the stage you set my heart on fire!" Yuuri and Viktor continued, singing together like two pieces of a puzzle. The song lasted about three minutes, and the cheers from the crowd were making them smile.

The song ended, the music tapering off. Yuuri stood pressed against Viktor, his hand on Viktor's cheek and Viktor's hand around his waist. The way they stood was enough proof of their love, but it was nothing close to their eyes.

The looks in their eyes proved they only existed for each other, and nothing else.

 _End._


	16. NOT A CHAPTER

Mkay my friends.

This is not a chapter just a simple question;

I am not entirely happy with the ending of Stand by Me. It was rushed, there were toо many plot holes to count, and it was definitely not my best work...

So.

If I were to write an alternate ending to Stand by Me called the Storm of Fate... would you guys like that?? It would start at the end of chapter 7 and go from there. TOTALLY different situation.

I exist only to please my readers, so please let me know it the reviews section.

If I get more than 5 yeses, then I will write it.

Eh, I might just do it anyway ;P

Okay, well... до свидания мой друзья!!


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